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BELGIUM Burgo has ordered a Fläkt dryer from ABB Automation Systems to replace an existing pulp dryer at its Ardennes mill. In addition to the Fläkt dryer, the delivery will include a complete heat recovery system, ventilation of the baling area and installation. The project is part of a BEF 5.5 billion ($121 million) rebuild at the site to boost pulp capacity by 100,000 tonnes/yr to 360,000 tonnes/yr.
FRANCE Testing Machines (TMI) of the US has acquired France's Adamel Lhomargy. The French company specializes in measuring instrumentation for the pulp, paper and packaging industries. Adamel Lhomargy will contine to manufacture its range of instruments which includes micrometers, burst and tear testers, as well as providing after-sales support from its facilities in Paris. TMI said the move fits in well with the groups' strategy of combining global brands with strong local support. The US group also owns Messmer in the UK and Büchel of the Netherlands.
FRANCE ABB has acquired the Cellier group of Aix les Bains, France. The wet end chemical and coating kitchen specialists will be integrated into the industrial IT solutions business of ABB's pulp and paper division. ABB said that the new addition's industry knowledge will complement the company's experience in automation. Cellier hopes that the move will allow the French company to tap into ABB's worldwide service and distribution network.
GERMANY BASF has opened a new Euro 200 million ($195 million) dispersions center at the Ludwigshafen site. With the new unit, BASF has raised the company's on-site polymer dispersion production capacity by 120,000 tonnes/yr to 800,000 tonnes/yr. The German chemical producer said that the main advantage of the Ludwigshafen site is its close proximity to key customers. Half of BASF's polymer dispersion customers are located within a 500 km radius of the plant.
SWEDEN Modo Paper has launched a new range of papers called the SilverPaper Family aimed at meeting the demands of specific print applications. The paper collection is produced at the company's Silverdalen mill in Sweden where the Silverblade range of offset papers is also manufactured. The new range includes papers suitable for digital printing, copying, security and branding applications. The newest addition to the family is SilverImage, a double-coated woodfree fine paper designed for electrostatic digital four-color copying.
Modo Paper wins the silver with its new paper range
SWITZERLAND The 1st International Cham Paper group meeting for the wallpaper industry took place on August 31-September 1 in Morschach, central Switzerland. The event's main objective was to provide an international platform where industry members could bring new ideas and trends to the fore. For example, Jim Thybony, president of Thybony Wallcoverings and the Wallcovering Association in the US, outlined some of the marketing initiatives being carried out by the association in attempt to change attitudes to wallpaper in the US.
Delegates at the 1st International Cham Paper group meeting look to the future of wallpaper
UK Self adhesive material manufacturer, SJP, is investing Euro 750,000 ($664,000) in quality assurance improvements at its mill in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. The company has installed a vision imaging system on the Bachofen & Meier self-adhesive coating machine at its plant. The system consists of eight cameras which take snapshots of the machine's output as it leaves the dryer section. The data is then analyzed by computer to identify any adhesive pinholes or imperfections which cannot be detected by the human eye.
UK Engineering and design consultancy, Millwide Engineering Services, has announced a partnership agreement with Finland's PI-Consulting. In the first stage, the companies will operate autonomously and collaborate on selected projects in the paper and board industry. Millwide brings many years of experience in the UK paper to the partnership while PI-Consulting has been involved in projects in over 100 countries worldwide.
US PPI and Pulp & Paper have canvassed the opinions of more than 200 members of the financial community on who should be selected as global CEO of the year for the forest products industry. Security analysts, investment officers and portfolio managers were asked to nominated the CEO who they believe has made the greatest contribution to the growth, competitiveness and success of their company. The Pulp & Paper/PPI CEO of the Year Award will be presented on November 14, 2000, during the Paper/Forest Products Global Outlook Conference (November 14-16) at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.
US Boise Cascade has been voted one of the most innovative users of information technology in the US by InformationWeek magazine. The forest product company gained its place in the InformationWeek 500 ranking based on the size of its information technology installations, and according to the business advantages that the company creates through application of the technology.
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